A friend once described Halloween as similar to an American version of Diwali.
Growing up, Diwali was the most fun festival of them all. Diwali meant fireworks, well-lit homes, hanging out with our neighbors, and sharing sweets.
We celebrated our first real Halloween yesterday as our kids are now old enough to both understand and be excited about “trick or treat.” We ended up joining a group of kids and parents from around our new neighborhood who were doing the same, walking up to decorated homes, and saying hi to all the neighbors who gave our kids candy.
Absent the fireworks, it did remind me of Diwali growing up.
I’ve spent nearly as many years away from India as I have growing up. And, in all these years spent across various continents, I’ve always stumbled upon similar traditions – with no exceptions.
Lost in all the conversation, political discourse, and (typically) rhetoric about our differences is the fact that we’re all human. And, no matter the color of our passport or our skin, we all crave love, safety, and belonging.
So, it is no surprise that there are similar traditions wherever there are humans.
Ubuntu.
I am because we are.
